A replay of one of Gamesthirst’s most popular articles:

You’ve heard the talk haven’t you? About how Sony will not allow Microsoft to release its next generation console before they do, and so, with the fear of losing its user base pounding incessantly at the thoughts of its executives, Sony will leave the PS3 behind and delve head first into the eighth and last generation of gaming consoles.

This won’t happen.

If Sony has learned one thing about gamers, is that they’re suckers for new “toys”. Doesn’t really matter what year they release a console, as long as the price is right, and the PlayStation logo is on there, it’ll sell like hot cakes. And now, with the advent of PSN, Sony’s base will most likely stay faithful to its service until the next PlayStation home console comes along.

Even one of Sony’s main bosses uttered this very thing.

Sony’s Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida:

“Naturally, in my opinion, Microsoft will make the first move. Or, because Nintendo’s approach was not to upgrade much on its basic hardware – Wii doesn’t even support HD resolution – so they might be the first to move,” Yoshida told industry Magazine, Develop, when asked why Sony hadn’t discussed the PS4 publicly as yet.

“Probably we should watch these companies, in my opinion. Because PS3 was later than Xbox, and is more powerful, so it has a longer lifespan.”

And I agree with him fully. Microsoft and Nintendo are most likely planning a 2012 release for the their next generation consoles, and for them, I think it’s right timing. Think about it: Although Nintendo launched around the same time with Sony, the Wii is basically a GameCube with Motion Control technology; the legendary company badly needs an upgraded system. And so it’s a veritable venture to release one soon, all the while boosting revenues and shareholder confidence.

Microsoft, too, must be eying 2012 seriously for many reasons. Although Redmond only recently released the Xbox 360 Slim, it knows, without doubt, that the days of its controversial console is coming to an end. Evidently, the PS3 is beginning to embarrass the Xbox 360. Especially technically, where the PS3′s raw power is beginning to outstrip by far, even the best efforts of developers who make exclusive games for Microsoft’s console.

Also, when 2012 arrives, it will be eight years since the Xbox 360 first came on the market. That’s well beyond the time period console makers release their next gen systems. Remember, Sony launched the PS2 in 2000 and six years later, the PS3 came on the scene. It would not only be a bad marketing move if Microsoft doesn’t release its new console in the next year and a half, it would also seriously damage the Xbox 360′s image. Why? Well, considering the PS3′s ahead of the Xbox 360 technically, it would literally render Microsoft’s console “old gen” by that time. Perhaps you’re aware that it’s already showing, therefore things will only go down hill rapidly in the coming years.

So Sony will be the only company left in the seventh generation of consoles.

For a while.

Suddenly, without warning, 2014 comes crashing in on the gaming world like a massive truck that just lost all bearings. The driver pumps hard, looking for brakes, hoping to stop. He finds none. All that’s left is a gaming world bewildered, awestruck, dumbfounded and amazed.

Sony just crashed everyone’s party. For a while there, Nintendo and Microsoft were hoping against hope that the company from the land of the rising sun would just quit gaming and allow the two to play chess. Stay away, Sony. Not so.

PS4′s now on the scene. Priced right, more future proof than any other on the market. Sexy. Millions starts disappearing off store shelves, etailers like amazon can’t keep up. Even the monster that is Walmart can’t keep the console in stuck.

But why’s it selling out so fast? For one, Sony learned an almost crippling lesson back in the PS3′s gloomy days. The console was priced at over $650 at launch, a turnoff for many gamers who then set their sights on Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which, by the way, managed to outsell Sony’s PS3 before its younger brother would step in: Xbox 720.

The other reason was the many PS3 exclusive titles that launched with the system.

Killzone 4:

Killzone is one of the most recognizable titles on the PlayStation, and in gaming for that matter. After Sony unleashed the third installment on the PS3, the giant allowed Guerrilla Games, Killzone’s developer, to go after new ventures. And so the prospect of the next Killzone launching on PS3 faded. Time ran out but it benefited the PS4.

As soon as the game’s fans heard the news, they couldn’t resist. “Where is the nearest GameStop?” Zack asked, he’d already made his decision.

Resistance 4:

By the time Resistance 3 came out, it was already late 2011. Its developer, Insomniac Games, had recently signed a deal with EA Partners affording them to do multiplatform games. Sony knew when that happened they’d have to wait longer for Resistance installments. Part four would not see a PS3 release.

It did, however, release on the PS4 at launch, and again, just like the killzone fans, Resistance supporters bought the console for their beloved franchise.

God of War 4:

Many had thought that God of War 4 would come to life on PS3, it did not. Apparently they’d forgotten how long it took Santa Monica to release the last: four years.

Did Sony strategically planned the game’s PS4 release? It was hardly a tough question to answer. Of course they did. God of War is a system seller; God of War III had once again proven that point, and Sony wasn’t about to mess up the tradition.

When the game landed a month later on the PS4, you could hardly find the console anywhere. It had proven to be the best hardware sales boost Sony had ever received from a game.

In the end, not Microsoft, nor was it Nintendo who won the eighth generation of consoles install base battle. Sony’s planning had proven successful. They didn’t follow the other two companies down the tempting path, it was their destiny not Sony’s. And although the media was once again spelling the hardware giant’s doom, Sony never budged. It was already accustomed to the judgments. Instead, a game plan formulated by the company’s top executives, developers, and fans alike, was followed precisely. No wavering, not even when it looked tough.

And so it was in the eighth generation of consoles.

For ExclusivesMostly, one of Games Thirst faithful users.